Timeline for What did Harry mean when he said "Well, I take it you're not sorry?" to Griphook?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
19 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 20, 2019 at 13:54 | comment | added | Carduus | +1 for not-sarcasm. Sarcasm would have been, "Oh, I'm soooooo sorry I saved your life! I totally should have just left you there to die!" | |
| Dec 19, 2019 at 19:33 | comment | added | 8protons | @gowenfawr It wasn't sarcasm and it wasnt about being sorry for being saved, it was a question about being sorry that he, Harry, was the one who saved him. | |
| Dec 19, 2019 at 17:22 | comment | added | Lightness Races in Orbit | I might have written it as "Would you rather I hadn't?" or "Did you wish I hadn't?" or "*sigh* Should I not have done that?" which may make things clearer | |
| Dec 19, 2019 at 9:12 | comment | added | prosfilaes | @AIQ Do Not Resuscitate orders are a thing. I imagine that some people might not want to owe their life to an enemy. | |
| Dec 18, 2019 at 13:56 | comment | added | Thorbjørn Ravn Andersen | @AIQ The movie "The Incredibles" (the first one) has a major plot advancement by a person who did not want to be saved (or at least claims to) | |
| Dec 17, 2019 at 19:34 | comment | added | McAden | I believe this answer is correct. The way I've always read this is Griphook essentially making a statement about how wizards stereotypically look down on other races as being worthless. The comment indicates that Harry is "odd" because he actually bothered to save him. With not being raised this way, it doesn't even cross Harry's mind that Griphook somehow would have less value. Saving Griphook is the only option to him and he's also in a bit of a hurry. Hence, the sarcasm. | |
| Dec 17, 2019 at 16:40 | comment | added | gormadoc | @trlkly I don't think it sounds strange at all, but it definitely sounds more vindictive than other possible ways to say it. For an American using "I am sorry" in similar ways, check this out: loweringthebar.net/2008/10/i-am-sorry.html | |
| Dec 17, 2019 at 10:25 | comment | added | trlkly | @FrankHopkins I would argue almost the exact opposite. I've heard people say they regret something that happened to them many times. But I've never heard of anyone saying "I'm sorry" for anything that happened to them. I would never say "I am sorry that you didn't save me a cookie," but I would possibly say "I regret that you didn't save me a cookie." I very much suspect that Harry's usage of "sorry" here is a Britishism. As an American, it took me several seconds to figure out what Harry could possibly mean, but I'm sure it was obvious to a Brit (or Rowling wouldn't have written it that way). | |
| Dec 17, 2019 at 6:53 | comment | added | Frank Hopkins | Imho regret would fit "worse" here as that would typically imply agency on Griphooks part, afaik 'regret' implies one has done something, one can regret (albeit there being usages that seem not necessarily to follow that). Feeling sorry seems independent of agency on the other hand. | |
| Dec 16, 2019 at 20:56 | comment | added | Misha R | @AIQ Just as a supplementary example - when someone tells you that a relative of theirs recently passed away, the most common response is "I am so sorry." Or, in response to any sort of someone else's bad news, it is fairly common to hear something like "Damn, really sorry you had to go through that." I am not sure about England, but in the US the term "sorry" is very often used to mean "regret." | |
| Dec 16, 2019 at 20:35 | comment | added | gowenfawr | @AIQ in this case the "Or" meant "Here is a third explanation you have not considered." I think your statement (1) is likely a true statement, but not an explanation for what Griphook might be "sorry" for. I don't know if (2) is true or not, given how Harry's recent actions might affect Griphook's opinions, but I don't think the text supports that being what is going through Griphook's mind at that point; it would be out of context. | |
| Dec 16, 2019 at 20:30 | vote | accept | AIQ | ||
| Dec 16, 2019 at 20:30 | comment | added | AIQ | Got it, thanks very much. Btw, since you started your answer with "or", I have to ask if you think there is validity to my two reasons. Or, do you think they are plain wrong? | |
| Dec 16, 2019 at 20:28 | comment | added | gowenfawr | @AIQ Merriam-Webster's definition of "sorry" is "feeling sorrow, regret, or penitence." The two are equivalent in this example; replace "you're not sorry" with "you're not feeling regret". | |
| Dec 16, 2019 at 20:22 | comment | added | AIQ | I understand what you mean. But I don't get how "sorry" is equivalent to "regret". It would totally make sense if Harry said "I take it you don't regret that I saved you." | |
| Dec 16, 2019 at 20:20 | history | edited | gowenfawr | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added 14 characters in body
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| Dec 16, 2019 at 20:20 | comment | added | gowenfawr | @AIQ presumably no one would be; Harry's statement is sarcastic. | |
| Dec 16, 2019 at 20:18 | comment | added | AIQ | But why would anyone be sorry if they get saved? | |
| Dec 16, 2019 at 20:12 | history | answered | gowenfawr | CC BY-SA 4.0 |